Ugh!!

Is there a need for a different opening when playing black or white? I am a newcomer to the game and openings are still a mystery to me.

Yes, although the popular moves, e4 and d4 can be done by black as well (e5 and d5). Usually openings with black are called "defense", like the Sicilian Defense for instance (e4 c5). This site can show where various openings lead.

There is a lot of opinions on this, and being a beginner myself, I'll give you the best advice I can...

When starting chess, openings study should be the last thing you do.  Instead, learn the principles of opening play ie. control the centre, develop your pieces and restrict your opponent's movements.  A lot of beginning players want to learn openings because they want a quick upper hand on their opponents, but wind up completely lost in the middlegame.  Instead, most chess experts advise to learn the endgame first, then tactical and positional play and then studying opening lines.  Although this seems counter-intuitive, it's by studying the middlegame and endgame first that openings begin to make more sense.  It's no good memorizing lines and variations only to be trounced by someone who can run circles around you in middlegame and endgame.

Again, most chess experts advise that serious openings study shouldn't begin until you reach intermediate tournament play (around 1700 or so).  Apply the principles of opening, reach a playable middlegame and work your way to a playable endgame and you'll do fine.  Hope that helps.

I think opening preparation becomes more important at the higher levels. In our game, only my first two moves were memorized. The rest I had to come up with on my own. Loomis, who scores well against me in blitz, seems to study even less theory...

porterism> "Instead, learn the principles of opening play ie. control the centre, develop your pieces and restrict your opponent's movements... serious openings study shouldn't begin until you reach intermediate tournament play (around 1700 or so)."

You hit the nail squarely on the head! Knowing general principles is quite useful. I am slowly amassing a repertoire. I now understand about 38 opening positions.